Epichem Produces Mid-IR Laser Diodes and LEDs

Wirral, UK-based Epichem Ltd. has announced that it has fabricated mid-IR LEDs and laser diodes with its Admiral Consortium partners Aixtron AG, RWTH Aachen, Université Montpellier II and the IP-Czech Academy of Science. The Sb-based devices emit in the 3.3- to 4.5-µm range, which is suitable for applications in environmental sensing and the noninvasive biological monitoring of toxins and contaminants such as CO₂ and CH₄.

The consortium used a variant of metallorganic vapor phase epitaxy to deposit low-melting-point antimonides and to avoid unwanted reactions in the gas phase. The LEDs display continuous-wave operation at room temperature; the lasers exhibit pulsed operation to 135 K.